Biography
Akiko Shikata is a genre-defying soprano singer-songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose songs range from neofolk to avant-garde, world music, symphonic metal, folktronica, new age and dark ambient.
Her style could be defined as neoclassical with a deep tendency towards experimentation, while many of her songs are progressive and have a medieval or celtic feel. Her voice tends to takes on the role of an instrument, rather than a driving force, and her compositions typically consist of multi-layered and atypical musical passages, often featuring idiosyncrasies and quirks in the vein of dissociated choirs. She is also known to employ very different vocal styles, sometimes within the same song: a deeper, low-pitched voice; a high-pitched, child-like voice; and her regular, unique soprano voice, of which a more operatic variant can also be heard.
Shikata is known for her knowledge and use of several different languages in her songs; while she most frequently sings in Japanese and Italian (she has been writing and singing in Italian since her debut), these also include French, English or German, as well as unusual languages such as Uyghur, Turkish, Greek, Ainu, Tibetan and Hymmnos, the made-up language created for the Ar-Tonelico game series.
She was born on the 7th of January and works for several labels, including the underground neoclassical/folk label, HATS, and FrontierWorks. She founded her own indie circle, Vagrancy, in 2001, through which she has been releasing several albums in addition to her solo works.
Shikata has also contributed to several game soundtracks, such as Shadow Hearts from the New World, the Ar-Tonelico series and the Umineko no Naku Koro ni visual novels.
Her style could be defined as neoclassical with a deep tendency towards experimentation, while many of her songs are progressive and have a medieval or celtic feel. Her voice tends to takes on the role of an instrument, rather than a driving force, and her compositions typically consist of multi-layered and atypical musical passages, often featuring idiosyncrasies and quirks in the vein of dissociated choirs. She is also known to employ very different vocal styles, sometimes within the same song: a deeper, low-pitched voice; a high-pitched, child-like voice; and her regular, unique soprano voice, of which a more operatic variant can also be heard.
Shikata is known for her knowledge and use of several different languages in her songs; while she most frequently sings in Japanese and Italian (she has been writing and singing in Italian since her debut), these also include French, English or German, as well as unusual languages such as Uyghur, Turkish, Greek, Ainu, Tibetan and Hymmnos, the made-up language created for the Ar-Tonelico game series.
She was born on the 7th of January and works for several labels, including the underground neoclassical/folk label, HATS, and FrontierWorks. She founded her own indie circle, Vagrancy, in 2001, through which she has been releasing several albums in addition to her solo works.
Shikata has also contributed to several game soundtracks, such as Shadow Hearts from the New World, the Ar-Tonelico series and the Umineko no Naku Koro ni visual novels.
Edited by Ohara555666 on 13 May 2012, 13:36
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